Twilit Dawn
by lironelle
Summary: Saffron, Will's daughter, was born into a strong legacy. When she hears the story of what her father did when he was young, she sets out on an adventure that could change life forever in all the worlds...
1. Birthday Revelations

**Forward**

Will Parry had met Sylvia in his freshman year of high school. Although he had been attracted – as a friend – to her from the beginning they hadn't begun to date until their senior year. Her vibrant nature and steadfast determination had reminded him of Lyra, though she was definitely a lesser version. However, on the night of their graduation, something happened. Consumed by their own successful completion of high school as well as the fact that they were both free, they shared a bottle of wine and the result was that they became drunk. What happened from that point was no one's fault but the fact was that Sylvia, although she was just eighteen, was pregnant with Will's baby. Because neither of them wanted to have an abortion, they decided to marry and attempt to raise the baby themselves. And so, only five months after they were married, their daughter was born. They named her Saffron and Will secretly named her daemon Ramidion. It had been Kirijava's suggestion although and Will had liked the sound of it although he had no real idea of its meaning. However, only a few months after Saffi had been born, Sylvia was killed in a car crash and Will was left to raise their baby alone with the help of his old patron and friend, Mary Malone.

**Chapter One: Birthday Revelations**

Saffi sat up straight in bed and rubbed her eyes. It was her twelfth birthday today! She immediately smiled and swung her feet out of bed. Listening into the silence of the apartment she shared with her father. No, he isn't up yet, she decided. That made her smile widen. She had time to search the house for what ever he had gotten her for her birthday! This had been a game for her and her father since she could remember. He would hide whatever he was giving her and she would always try to find it. She hadn't been successful yet but this year she was sure that she would be. She was, after all, a year older now, wasn't she? What was to stop her from turning the whole apartment upside down before her father woke up? Nothing.

Saffi smiled wider and turned towards her dresser. She hurriedly pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. In many ways, Saffi was like Will. She had straight dark hair and brows just the same as him. She also had his quiet, unnoticed, personality as well as his instincts for self defense. In the second grade there had been an incident in which an older boy had thought she would make a good victim for tormenting. Since this boy had been tormenting some of her friends as well, Saffi had decided to teach him a lesson instead of just making him forget her. The result was that the boy had had to be taken to the emergency room because of a broken nose and a bruised jaw. Although no real harm had been done in Saffi's opinion, she was suspended for three weeks. Will had tried to appear disapproving but only succeeded in being amused. And although he kept up his disapproving attitude in front of Saffi, she knew that it was only a façade and didn't worry about it. In other ways, Saffi was like her mother. She had her thin, delicate, figure for example as well as her dark chocolate brown eyes and pale skin. Saffi didn't remember her mother and the photographs that Will had shown her didn't bring back any memories. Although Saffi did wonder what it would be like to have a mother, she didn't feel that much loss over the fact that she didn't. She did, after all, had a father who loved her very much and there was her Aunt Mary Malone and her Grandmother. Saffi knew that Aunt Mary wasn't her real aunt but she seemed so much like family that that was the only thing she could really call her.

After she had dressed, Saffi picked up the brush from her bedside table and ran it though her hair a couple of times. Although Saffi herself didn't really care much what it looked like, she knew that her father would disapprove if she didn't keep it tidy. It was better just to get it done. Saffi quietly slipped out of her bedroom door and into the hallway. Then, nearing the kitchen, she discovered that she had been mistaken; he father was already up and he was talking to someone, although Saffi didn't recognize the voice.

"You should tell her, she's ready," said the stranger. She sounded faintly female, although her voice was like no voice that Saffi had ever heard. Senescing that she has being talked about, Saffi bent her head closer to the door to listen.

Her father, Will Parry, answered in a voice that was both tired and exasperated. "And how can you be sure of that, Kirijava? You've never even spoken to you herself."

After a pause, the other voice spoke again. But this time, it sounded angry. "But I've still been around her since she was born, even though she doesn't know it. Would you like be to explain your real reason for not wanting to explain everything to her Will? Its because you don't want to explain about everything to her. You don't want to explain about Lyra. Well guess what Will, I miss them too!"

Peering through the crack in the door, Saffi could see that her father had put his head in his hands. However, she couldn't see the person that he was speaking to. What was going on? Then, hearing voices again, Saffi quit thinking about it and pressed her ear back against the crack in the door.

"I know," her father said in defeated voice. "I'll tell her then. But how should I bring the subject up?"

The other voice was amused. "I don't think that that will be a problem, Will."

Saffi took her ear away and flattened herself against the wall.

"Why is that?" asked her father.

"Because she's standing right outside the door," replied the voice. Saffi was surprised to hear the laughter in it.

Will groaned. "I should have know," he said. "Com one in, Saffron."

As she came in, Will regarded his only child. She had no idea of the adventures he had gone on when he was younger. She had never heard of Lyra. Never heard of the Subtle Knife. Never known about the other worlds. And Now Kirijava though it was time she knew. Will wasn't sure that that was a good idea. How could he prove it to her, anyways? But then Kirijava had subtlety reminded him of daemons by mention herself and Pan. He could show Saffi her daemon! It was a very neat plan.

Saffi was on her guard as she entered the room. Who was this other speaker, this Kirijava. Whatever Saffi was expecting, she didn't see it. In fact, she couldn't see anyone at all.

"Dad…" Saffi said. "Who were you talking to?"

Will was at a loss for what to say. Of course she couldn't see Kirijava and for a moment how Saffi had been able to hear her but he dismissed the thought. It was something to think about it later. However, Kirijava decided to take things into her own hands.

"I know you can't see me at the moment," she said and Saffi started. "But I can show you how to."

Saffi's glance was darting from wall to wall, looking for the invisible speaker. Not seeing anyone she replied "Um okay."

Will could feel Kirijava's purr of amusement and he nearly chuckled himself. The girl was completely spooked. "I want you to clear your mind and just look at the table. Looking at it out of the corner of your eye might help."

Saffi, feeling very foolish, tried it. For a few minutes she stood there, staring. Then, suddenly, she got it. With a nearly silent "ah!" of surprise, the dark colored cat she had seen on her table vanished. Then her mind felt a new problem. Even if there was a cat, how on earth could it talk? Shaking her head at the craziness of this situation, Saffi tried again. She was eager to see the cat again and besides, she could think about talking cats later.

It took Saffi around an hour to really get the hang of seeing the cat all the time. Will wasn't fussed at her taking so long; he was still thinking about how he could tell Saffi about everything as gently as possible.

Saffi took a deep breath and addressed the cat. "Are you the one I was hearing talking?" she asked. She was still feeling very foolish for talking to a nearly invisible cat.

The cat purred and stood up. Saffi's eye's widened to see it move. "I am Kirijava," she said. "Now look at your feet."

Now that was a crazy request but Saffi did it anyway and let out a small gasp of surprise. At her feet, a small ferret shaped animal stood. On an impulse, Saffi knelt down and picked the creature up and place him on her shoulder. Once there, he clung to her hair. The nails of his little feet dug into her shoulder. Saffi turned to face her father. "What are these things?" she asked him. She liked them, make no mistake, but they were so strange!

"They're daemons," Will said bluntly. "I learned about them when I was about your age… I'll tell you the story when Aunt Mary arrives, which, by the way, should be any minute. You're ready?" she nodded "good. Then you can go ahead and eat breakfast." Saffi turned away. Her head was still ringing with the strangeness of the situation. "By the way, you daemon will probably change shape."

At that point, Will left the room. He couldn't bear any questions at the moment.

"I'm not sure that that was the best way to do it," Kirijava said. She leapt into his arms.

"What other way is there?"

Kirijava shook her head, realizing the truth in what he said. "It would have been a shock for her any way we told her."

"I think she took it pretty well," Will said. "She only seemed astonished."

Just then, the door bell rang. "That should be Mary," Kirijava said. "Was our mother coming as well?"

"No," said Will. "She was going to come over around seven this evening. Apparently she joined a golf club and now she's in a tournament."

Kirijava nodded. She hadn't been there when Will had made the arrangements for Saffron's birthday.

As suspected, it was Mary who was at the door. "Hello Will," she said. She had a smile on her face as she took his had and shook it. She hadn't visibly aged much since Lyra and Will had parted. But there was still some grey in her hair now and she acted a little older. Her daemon, whom she had named Gemini after the constellation Mary had been born under, rested on her shoulder.

Will smiled to see her there, just the same as ever. She, at least, was still there from the old days. He held out his hand. "Hello Mary," he said.

"Hi Will," she said in her open, friendly, manner. "So. Are you going to tell Saffi about… everything today?"

Will grimaced. "I've already started," he said. "I showed her her daemon."

Mary looked at him inquisitively. "What happened?"

"She took to it pretty well," said Will. "But I've no idea how to even start telling her the rest of the story."

Mary sighed. "I'll help, if you'll let me," she said. "I'd be happy to give it a try."

Will smiled. "I was hoping you'd offer," he said.

"Well, it's settled then," Mary said. "I'll start by tell my part. Then you can tell about yourself and… Lyra."

Will nodded and motioned for her to follow him into the apartment. When they entered the kitchen, they saw that Saffi was already sitting there with her hands folded neatly in her lap. The adults, used to seeing the daemons of others, saw that her daemon was in the shape of a tiger at her feet. He growled softly as they entered the room. Saffi's eyes narrowed.

"I think you owe me an explanation," Saffi said. "What are these… daemons?"

Will sighed and seated himself across from his daughter. Mary took the seat to his left.

Marry looked at Will and he nodded. "I didn't know about them for years either," Mary said.

"You know about them too?" asked Saffi. "How did you find out about them?"

"Yes, I do." Mary said. "Can you see him?"

Saffi squinted. "Yes," she said after a moment. "He's a funny bird thing."

Gemini laughed softly and Saffi stared at him. "Yes," said Mary. "I'll tell you the story." Mary began to tell the story of the little girl Saffi's age who turned up in her office one day with a priceless golden instrument claiming to be from another world.

"She knew all about my research," Mary explained. And when I hooked her up to the Cave – that's what we called our computer – she produced the most amazing results. She could make the screen show pictures and they told her things!"

"What was her name?" asked Saffi.

Mary glanced at Will.

"Her name was Lyra Silvertongue," Will said. His voice was a little thick, as though he was holding back come suppressing emotion.

Saffi looked at her father in surprise. "Did you know her as well, then?" she asked.

"Yes," Will said. "But listen to what Mary has to say before I start telling my part of the story."

Saffi nodded and turned back to Mary expectantly. "Was she really from another world?" she asked.

Mary nodded. "Yes, she was," she said. "But I wasn't sure whether to believe her back then. And another thing; in her world, everyone knows their daemons because they're physical."

"Like, you can touch them?" asked Saffi. "And does everyone have their own daemon? Do some people have more than one?"

"Everyone has their own daemon, just one, unless they get separated unnaturally," said Will.

"Yes, you can touch them," Mary said. "So her daemon was there with her. I didn't know that at the time though. And she did such amazing things with that instrument! She could tell me the answer to any question I cared to ask! Anyway, we were in the middle of a funding crisis back then and so I requested that she come back the next day to show my partner, Dr. Oliver Pane. So she left and when she turned up the next day. But the trouble was," and she continued to tell the story of how Lyra had let slip Will's name. Saffi was shocked to hear that her father had actually killed a man but she listened in awe as Mary spun out the rest of the tail. The flight from her own world through that mysterious window in the air. Her meeting with the Mulefa. The making of the Amber Spyglass. How Will and Lyra came there.

At that point, she stopped.

"What happened next?" Saffi asked eagerly.

"I'm going to let your Father tell his story now," Mary smiled. Saffron had been hanging onto every word she said.

And so Will began to tell his story from the night when he had killed the man who was terrorizing his mother. By the time he was finished, Saffi was gazing at him with wide eyes.

"And do you still love her?" she asked.

"Who?" asked Will.

"Lyra," Saffi said imperiously.

Will was silent for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I love Lyra."

a/n: so how'd you like my first serious fic? I should be updating soon so don't forget about me! starts working on the next chapter :)


	2. Presents

**Chapter Two: Presents**

Saffron was completely untroubled by the revelation that her father loved another woman more than he loved her mother. She hadn't known her mother, after all, and from the sound of it this Lyra character was more interesting anyway. Saffi wondered what it would be like to live in a world where witches flew in the skies and Armored Bears roamed the North.

Will sat in silent contemplation. His daughter had believed all of what he and Mary had told her much more quickly than he had expected. Meeting her daemon might have enticed her to believe more readily, that was true, but Saffron had never been a gullible child. He would have to discuss this with Kirijava later.

"Do daemons talk?" Saffron asked suddenly.

"Yes," Mary said. "I was a little surprised by that as well." She brought Gemini from her shoulder and placed him on the table. "But from what I've discovered about daemons, even people who don't know that they exist communicate with them on a regular basis. They're your conscious, that's true, but they're also the little voice answering the questions in your head. It's like when you're trying to remember something like, oh your favorite color for example. You ask 'oh what was it?' inside your head, and the answer 'blue,' flashed back into your mind. And it would be you asking the question and your daemon answering. It happens in all sorts of situations but the human never really realizes what is really happening."

"So my friends have daemons too?" asked Saffi. She propped her head up on one arm and listened intently. "And when my daemons settle?"

"I suppose he'll settle well, around your age." Mary said. "And of course your friends have daemons. Everyone does, after all."

"But I thought you said that in Lyra's world they were cutting…" Saffi said.

"Yes, but since daemons are very well known in this world, the likelihood of that happening here is very unlikely." Mary felt like shivering in spite of herself. After knowing Gemini for this long the thought of living without him was unbearable.

"What's my daemon's name?" asked Saffi. She stroked his white ferret fur absently.

"I named him when you were a baby," Kirijava said. She arched her back luxuriously. "He's called Ramidion."

"Ramidion," Saffi said the name slowly. She like the sound of it.

"Well, I don't know about you Will but I think it might be time for some cake and presents," Mary said. She smiled at the excitement that immediately appeared on Saffi's face. Mary reached into her purse and pulled out a smallish package that was roughly six my three by three inches big. Saffi couldn't imagine what was in it.

Will smiled. "I believe your right Mary," he said. He left the room for a moment and came back carrying several packages. Saffi recognized the two wrapped in white as being from her father. One of them was them was long and wide and the other was small and shaped like a cube. Saffi guessed that the others were from her relatives on her mother's side.

Her mother had been the youngest of three sisters. There was Aunt Lavender and Aunt Jessamine and then her mother. Saffi didn't know her Aunts well; they lived in France so she hadn't seen them often. However, they did make sure to send her birthday and Christmas presents.

Will handed Saffi one of the parcels. It was large, cubed, and wrapped in birthday paper. There was a ribbon taped to the top along with a card. Saffi pulled off the card and read (her aunts were fluent in English),

Dear Saffron,

Another year! Wow, time does fly. I hope you have a happy birthday, best wishes,

Aunt Lavender, Uncle Ulrich, Arthur and Molly

Molly was Saffi's three-year-old cousin. The last time she had seen Aunt Lavender was two years ago. Arthur was Saffi's cousin who was her age. Saffi remembered that they had 'gone on an adventure' without permission the last time Saffi had visited. That meant that Arthur and Saffi had run off with assorted camping supplies and spent two days out in the woods until the Adults had found them. Although they had all been furious, Saffi remembered her father's pride that she had done that all on her own. Saffi glanced at her father and passed him the card. He hadn't known his wife's family well when he married her and after she died he didn't seen them very often. He was, however, grateful for their continued remembrance of Saffi. Will suspected that they felt sorry for the girl.

Saffi, however, had never acted as though she was missing anything. She seemed perfectly content with her life and had never shown any desire for a mother. Then again, Saffi had never experienced what having a mother was like. Neither had Will, come to think of it. Well, that wasn't precisely true; he did have some vague memories of his mother caring for him but mostly he had had to be the parent, even from such a young age… at least Saffi didn't have to do that.

Saffi, however, was neatly ripping open the paper that enclosed her present. Inside it, was a white present box. Saffi put her ear against it and shook it. Something thumped softly against the inside of the box.

"Any idea what it is?" asked Will.

Saffi shook her head. She didn't.

"Open it," Mary smiled.

Saffi eased the lid off of the box. Inside it was a black back pack. It was sturdy and durable. Saffi lifted it out of the box and another card fell away with it. Saffi slid it open and pulled out another note.

Dear Saffron;

Remember your last visit? Jessamine and I thought that you could visit again and then we could all go camping. We'd like you to come and visit us this summer. Arthur says he wishes you would. Phone us and let us know soon,

Love,

Aunt Lavender

Saffi gave a squeal of delight and excitement and passed her father the card. It would be great to see Arthur again and imagine his surprise when she showed his daemon… Saffi could hardly wait. She loved spending time with her cousins.

Will read the letter and smiled. It would be a good idea for Saffron to spend a few weeks in the mountains with her extended family. It was a luxury that Will himself had never had. He didn't have any extended family, well, besides his in-laws. "It's a good idea," he said with a smiled at his daughter.

Saffi jumped up, gave him a hug, then sat back down. She remembered that Aunt Lavender had mentioned that Aunt Jessamine had thought it was a good idea as well. Did that mean that her present also had something to do with this trip? Saffi hoped it did. Aunt Jessamine usually bought her cloths (Saffi suspected she thought Will couldn't.) Saffi took the other package from the table. It was wrapped in shiny purple paper. This package was much smaller than the other (around two by one inches long) although it weighed just about as much. Saffi carefully unwrapped it and slid open the lid of another box. Inside there was a pocket knife. A little piece of paper was folded around it that Saffi assumed was a note from Aunt Jessamine. She was right. She took it out, unfolded it, and read:

Dear Saffron,

Did you already read Lavender's note? If not, let me tell you that we are inviting you to come and stay at either of our homes this summer. We remembered the last time you and your father visited and we thought that it might be fun. Call us as soon as possible se we can start setting up travel arrangements. Its best to deal with those things as quickly as possible otherwise everything gets booked. I hope you have a very happy birthday. By the way, the knife was left to you by your Grandfather on my side before he died. There is something else I'm supposed to give you as well, but I don't trust the mail carriers not to break it. I'll give it to you when I see you. Happy Birthday again,

Aunt Jessamine, Uncle Carl, and Bella

Saffron gave a smiled and handed the note to her father again. Then she picked up the pocket knife and turned it this way and that in her hands. It was beautiful. There were several parts; several knives for different tasks, a file, a wrench, different screw drivers, a magnifying glass, and so on. Saffi loved it. It was probably the best thing that Aunt Jessamine had ever given her. At least it was in Saffi's opinion.

Saffi smiled and handed the knife to Mary to examine for Mary had been watching the knife curiously.

"It's beautiful," Mary said. Her eyes were what really told her approval though; they seemed to shine.

"May I see it?" asked Will. Mary gave it to him and he spent several minutes turning it this way and that in his hands.

"It's a good one," Will finally approved.

"So… what do you want to open next Saffi?" asked Mary.

"Um…" said Saffi. She closed her eyes and reached out blindly to the packages in front of her. Her hands closed on something small and she opened her eyes. She was holding one of the packages from her father. She looked at it slowly began to ease the paper off of it. Inside there was a ring with a single emerald in its center.

"That belonged to your mother," Will said.

Saffi looked at him in surprise. She felt a strange mixture of emotions inside her. For the first time she left a tang of loss. There was something missing that should have been there… she had just never known. Saffi held the ring tightly in her fist. She nodded at her father. "Thanks," she said. She didn't notice that her voice was thicker than usual but Will did.

Without pausing to let her mind linger on the subject of her sudden discomfort, Saffi grabbed the next present. It was the long flat one from her father. She eased the wrapping off and discovered a sketchbook. Since a young age, Saffi had loved to draw though back then she mainly drew on the walls. Will said it came from her mother's side of the family since it certainly didn't come from his.

Saffi smiled in surprise and delight. She gave her father a big hug and sat down again. Now there was only Mary's present left. Saffi took it now from the table where Mary had left it. She opened it just as carefully as the rest of them, but some how she knew that this was something special. Inside, there was a spyglass.

Saffi gasped, knowing what this must be. The instrument that Mary used to see Dust with! She picked it up again and held it to her eye… and nearly dropped it. The Dust swirled in great curtains and vortexes around her father and Mary. Saffi thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She let out a small gasp of surprise and delight. Setting the spyglass carefully down, she threw her arms around Mary.

Mary laughed and hugged her back. She had thought that Saffi would enjoy the glass and besides the wheel tree seeds that the Mulefa had given her were growing nicely. Soon she would have an access of oil.

After many thanks and a lot more discussion about the stories that Will and Mary had told her, Saffi went to her room and curled up on her bed. The ring Will had given her was on her finger. Saffi had something important to try. She carefully adjusted her mind to the state she could see Ramidion in. Suddenly, there he was. He was perched calmly at the end of her bed in the form of a terrier. He sat up and seemed to smile as she noticed him.

Feeling extremely tentative, Saffi spoke: "Hello?"

The Terrier seemed to laugh. "Hey," he said.

Saffi felt a hiccup of excitement rise up inside her chest and burst. "So you can talk?" she asked.

Ramidion gave her a look and changed into a ferret again "Definitely not," he said sarcastically. "I'm using sign language now."

Saffi giggled and pushed her daemon off of the bed. Although they had just truly met, Saffi felt she had known him for ages.

Ra flew back onto the bed in the form of a gold finch. "Well you have," Ramidion reminded her.

"You can read my thoughts?"

"We have the same thoughts."

"Oh." Saffi felt keyed up with excitement. She was discovering another part of herself, after all. And he was really part of her! He would stay with her all her life, sharing her every experience. He would always be there to council and advise her… forever and ever… "Can I call you Ra?" she asked. Ramidion was a bit of a mouthful.

Ramidion nodded. He was apparently pleased with something. Probably their meeting. Saffi felt ecstatic about it as well.

They sat in silence for a while, just reveling in that feeling of discovery. It was amazing. A soul-deep joy. It was Ramidion who broke the silence. "Hey Saf," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you think we could visit other worlds?"

"I don't know," she said. "Probably. But Dad said that the only ways were the knife and that mind thingy. I don't know if we could do those."

"Hmmm…" said Ra. "I'd like to visit other places."

Saffi nodded. From the feeling she got deep in her chest, she knew that other universes would become an obsession for her.


	3. Obsession

**Chapter Three: Obsession**

Saffron Parry sat her living room much later that day. Across from her sat her paternal Grandmother, Elaine Parry. Although Saffi had lived in the same town as her Grandmother all her life, she still didn't know her very well. She saw her Grandmother often, but the thing they most often discussed was Saffron herself. However, Saffi did know some things about her Grandmother. She knew, for instance, that she was very involved with volunteering at charities and doing community work. From the story Saffi had heard earlier that day, Saffron also knew that her Grandmother had gone, for want of a better word, crazy. She had, however, gotten over that with the extensive therapy and the help of her son.

"So Saffron," her Grandmother said. Saffi's Grandmother always called her by her full name. "How does it feel to be twelve?"

Saffi grinned; she couldn't help herself. "Not much different, actually," Saffi said. She loved her Grandmother dearly, in spite of the lack of knowledge she had about her. It just didn't seem to matter very much.

Her Grandmother smiled gently; "I felt much the same about my twelfth birthday," she said. "And pretty much every birthday after that," she allowed herself a chuckle. "But twelve is an important age, Saffon! You're growing up!"

As his mother said that, Will was reminded instantly of the time he has spent with Lyra. Of what growing up truly meant.

Saffi smiled, oblivious. "I think its fun!" she said decisively.

Her Grandmother smiled and pulled a little package out of her bag. "Happy Birthday, Saffron," she said. "And many happy returns."

Saffi gently took the package from her Grandmother. It was small; she could fit it easily inside only one of her hands.

"Go on, open it," her Grandmother nodded, an eager smiled on her face.

Saffi gingerly began to ease off the paper. Inside the package was a little figurine of some sort of amber animal. She turned it over and over in her hands, trying to figure out what it was.

"Is that some sort of ermine or weasel?" asked Will. He was curious.

Elaine Parry nodded. "Yes," she said. "My own Grandmother collected animal figurines and she left the collection to me. I've decided to start passing down the collection."

Saffi looked up at her grandmother in delight. Ra was in the shape of a door mouse in order to get closer to the figure and see it more clearly. But Elaine Parry couldn't see that, of course.

Saffi's Grandmother stayed for a few more hours, simply talking to Saffron and Will. There was a lot to talk about; school, friends, extra activities, and what Saffi herself was doing in her free time now. It had been a longer time than usual since Saffi had seen her so there was a lot to catch up on.

Finally her Grandmother had left and Will was in the kitchen doing the dishes. Saffi was free to go to her room with Ra and throw herself down on the bed to think. All through the conversation she had had with her Grandmother, Saffi hadn't been able to take her mind away from the possibility of other worlds. She wondered how the natural doorways between the worlds were created. Could there be some between here and the other worlds even now, she wondered. She wished there could be… then Saffi could go and see them! And maybe she'd find Lyra! And Saffi would be able to have a mother again! Saffi's heart was filled with a profound longing. She wished it could be true.

Saffi slid off her bed and took her mother's ring from the top of the dresser. She quietly slipped in onto her finger. It her perfectly.

Then, a profound idea hit herself and her daemon at the same moment. It was so momentous that the pair of them had trouble thinking straight about it for a moment. They just stared at each other, eyes wide. Ra changed into a fox and bounded over to stand beside Saffron.

Then, he voiced what he and Saffron had both been thinking. "We could re-forge it," he said. "We could use it, I bet we could. And we could make everything better for every one, I know we could! It could work!"

The next morning, Saffi rose at six o'clock. She hadn't had much time to think about the idea she and Ra had had the night before. Besides, it was too momentous for her to think about all at once. And she wasn't even sure that she wanted to do it yet. She remembered what her Father had told her about the specters. _The eat out your soul…_ Yesterday she might not have thought it was so bad but now she had met Ra… the full sickness of it hit her. She couldn't do that, could she? No, of course not. But then how on earth could she visit other worlds?

"Dad told us something about Angels, didn't he?" Ra said.

Saffi glanced over at him; he was sitting on her bed in the form of a fox. "Yes," she said. "What about them?"

"Well, they had to know where all the openings were to close them, didn't they?" Ra said. "So they might know where the new ones are!"

"Yes!" Saffi exclaimed in delight. But then another thought hit her. "But how would we find and Angel, anyways?" she asked her daemon. "From what Dad said, they're hard to find."

"Can't be too hard," Ra said. "I wonder how we could go about it…" his voice trailed off in thought.

Saffi smirked. "How about we paint signs saying 'Angel Wanted," everywhere."

Ra gave her a scornful look and glanced at the clock. "We'd better get going," he said. "We'll be late for school."

All throughout their conversation, Saffi had been diligently getting ready for school. Now, fully dressed with her hair combed, she made her way to the kitchen where she poured herself a bowl of cereal. Her father wasn't up yet, but Saffi was still careful not to mention her plans again till she had Ra were out of the house and on their way to the buss stop. Here, another source of excitement overtook Saffi; she could show her friends their daemons today! For the moment, other worlds were pushed to the back of her mind.

Saffi wondered how best to tell her friends about their daemons. Should she try to explain to them before teaching them to see their daemons? No, she decided. It would be better if she had them see their daemons first. That would eliminate the chance that they would think that she was craze – which might be high otherwise. Everything decided, Saffi sat back in her seat on the bus and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she was already there. She supposed hadn't been able to talk to Ra on the bus; people would think she was crazy if she suddenly started talking to herself. That certainly wouldn't be good. The thought of it made Saffi grin. She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of being a little different anyways, but what she really loved was influencing the children in her grade to play some game or other.

The bus pulled up into the school yard. Saffi noticed a group of her friends sitting off to the far left near a clump of bushes. She leapt off the bus and ran over to join them. She wondered whether she should show them their daemons and decided to wait until that afternoon. That way, she would have time to observe their daemons and see what they were like. She had already discovered from Ramidion that the behavior of the daemon told a lot about their human and she wanted to be sure of how her friends would handle the knowledge before she told them about their daemons. If they were going to think she was crazy she wouldn't even bother telling them. Not that she thought that that was a likely outcome; all of her friends were very devoted to her and probably would have followed her anywhere. Saffi was charismatic, to say the least.

"Hey Saffron," said Michael. Michael had been in classes with Saffi since first grade and he always called her by her full name. Michael was a quiet person who was very good at math and science. Saffi thought that he would probably grow up to be a physicist like her Aunt Mary.

"Hi Michael," Saffi said, grinning. She waved to the rest of the group; Ella, with her long Spanish dark hair; Zach, blond and green eyed; Dawn, pale faced, grey eyed, and golden-red haired. Of course, Saffi had other friends, but these were her oldest and her dearest.

After exchanging greetings, Saffi and her friends moved into their respective classes. Saffi had English first. She liked English, but it wasn't her favorite class. Saffi liked to engage her mind with the discovery of science. There were so many things to find out in that field, so many secrets to uncover. Saffi loved it.

The rest of the day, Saffi observed everyone's daemons with fascination. She was quickly becoming obsessed with the ideas her father had brought up in the story of his young life. She discovered that Michael's daemon was most likely to be a young lioness. Ella's daemon was likely to be a tropical bird. Saffi didn't know the name of it but she thought it was simply beautiful. Zach's daemon was often a cat, like her father's, but she took the shape of an ermine just as often. Dawn's daemon was a mouse a lot of the time, but she became a sea gull whenever Dawn was outside.

And then there were the daemons of the adults in the building! Her music teacher's daemon was a lively little goldfish. Her History teacher's daemon was a greyhound, her math teacher's a jay and so on.

One of the most fascinating incidents Saffi saw was when her music teacher's daemon chased down the daemon of one of the students who was being disruptive. It occurred to Saffi that the daemons of people were interaction all the time without the people's knowledge. This intrigued and delighted Saffi; what had Ra been doing during the different times in her life? What was his personality really like? She was only beginning to really discover it though of course they got on perfectly, for the most part. Ra did try to keep her in line and that wasn't exactly something that Saffi was used to doing. She was used to doing things she wasn't supposed to and not getting caught. But Ra's attempted dissuade from these activities seemed slightly forced and Saffi began to get the opinion that he was really enjoying it as much as she was.

At the end of the day, Saffi fell into bed exhausted and Ra curled up on her pillow in the form of a mouse, nestled in her hair. The last thought that she had that day was of the other worlds, and how she could possibly find her way into another.


	4. Watcher

**Chapter Four: Watcher**

**Earlier**

Arion watched from the air as the little girl boarded her bus, watched the buss drive away down the road towards the girl's home. Saffron, that was her name. Arion was too young yet to remember the times before the other angels had sealed up the openings between the worlds, only around seventeen years old, perhaps. He hadn't kept track.

The bus was out of sight now and there wasn't any need for Arion to stay longer. With a few powerful beats of his wings, he soared over the city.

As an angel Arion wasn't high-ranking by any means. And perhaps that was what puzzled him; why had the greater intentions of this world focused on him so? Or, to be exact, him and that child down there, Saffron.

Not that Arion expected for a moment that the intentions of the universes would be told to only one person --- not that he understood them himself. Yes, Arion was puzzled.

He hadn't told anyone the great things he had been let in on. He suspected that they wouldn't believe him… even if angels could only speak the truth.

As he flew, he noticed another angel flying near-by. He knew her. Arlya. She was far older than he was, a thousand years perhaps. Never the less, they were friends and they treated each other as equals. Among angels, rank often matter more than age any how.

Arlya caught sight of him, flew over. Like so many beings purely made out of Dark Matter, as it was called in this world, she could sense the thoughts and intentions of those around her.

"What's troubling you, Ari?" she asked calmly. That was one thing about Arlya; she was nearly always calm. Nearly. Arion had seen her angry and emotional just once. It wasn't an experience that he liked to remember.

Arion told her. There were greater intentions abroad in the universe than his. Much greater ones… the things, the secrets, he had been let in on proved that at least.

And so he explained, telling Arlya everything. She listened his silence.

"I need a way to get out of this universe," he finished.

Arlya considered for a moment. "Fine," she said. "I believe you. Come with me and I will show you something extraordinary."

She flew off towards the west and Arion followed.


End file.
